A day after her Democratic opponent Jim Graves put two television spots on the air, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann is striking back with an ad of her own.

The 30-second “No Room for Us” ad paints Graves as a big spender.

“Graves’ time in Congress would be an expensive stay for Minnesota taxpayers,” the ad states. “Big spending Jim supported the wasteful trillion dollar stimulus, and the $700 billion bailout.”

Graves “fancies himself a moderate,” but “there is simply no evidence to back up that claim,” said Bachmann spokesman Chase Kroll in a press release. “Jim Graves has already given his support to big-spending policies that are driving the federal budget deeper into debt.”

Bachmann is also running a radio ad that promotes some of her bipartisan accomplishments including the construction of the St. Croix bridge.

Yesterday, Graves launched two TV spots, one highlighting his biography and another that focuses on Bachmann’s response to the destruction of the Verso Paper Mill in Startell, Minn.

The ad accuses Bachmann of not being responsive to the mill workers. Bachmann did meet with Sartell city officials to discuss the mill site, but it was after the mill closed.

We’ll update this post when we get comment from the Graves campaign.

Here’s a statement from Jim Graves:

“Rep. Bachmann is using falsehoods to distract voters from her record of reckless spending in Congress and her failure to represent the people of her district. On Rep. Bachmann’s watch–during her three straight terms in office–our nation suffered unprecedented government growth and a deepening national debt, under both democratic and republican leadership. Unlike career politicians, such as Rep. Bachmann, Jim Graves is a businessman with real-life experience balancing budgets and creating private sector jobs. And that’s why the people of Minnesota’s 6th District are coming out in support of Jim Graves.”

About the blogger

Catharine Richert covers politics for MPR News, and writes PoliGraph, a fact-checking feature that gets behind the spin in Minnesota politics. She has also contributed to MPR’s coverage of the federal health care overhaul. Catharine joined the MPR newsroom in 2011 after finishing a master’s degree at the U of M’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Previously, Catharine worked for PolitiFact.com and Congressional Quarterly. She lives in St. Paul with her husband and son.

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